


Boom Baby

by valentineninja



Category: Final Fantasy XIII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Baby, F/M, Family Fluff, Humor, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-27
Updated: 2013-09-26
Packaged: 2017-12-27 17:56:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/981907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valentineninja/pseuds/valentineninja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU. This was it. This was the thing that would defeat the mighty Lightning Farron: motherhood. Rating for language and adult situations.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Boom Baby

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome! I bring you another SnowxLightning story that has nothing in common with the oneshots I've written. For one, this ignores the two sequels and it happens to be a family AU story. So I really hope everyone enjoys. Once again, though, please heed the rating because there will be plenty of sexy times as well as fluff. I think we need it after all the angst that the new trailers and the opening cinematic have brought us. I'm still actually debating whether to post more stories with sex scenes, so I'll give you all fair warning if I decide to edit this story and only post the scenes on a site like Tumblr or Archive of Our Own. Anyway, please enjoy!
> 
> Warning: Adult situations in this chapter...

…

The world was starting over.

The slate had been wiped clean and those who had sought to control humanity through evil means were gone. People smiled and there was unity as towns started to build, businesses to grow. Despite the new beginning they had been offered, Lightning found herself mourning over the price of their freedom.

There were days when she awoke in a cold sweat, reaching for a weapon that she no longer kept directly by her side. It was close, but not in bed _with_ her. She wondered if the instinct to fight would forever be ingrained in her. If she would always glance suspiciously toward the windows and check to see if there was no one around the area of their home who meant them harm.

The worst she had to contend with in the middle of the night was her dear husband stealing the quilts when the weather dropped—though that earned him a quick elbow to the sternum—or Sazh's idea of a barbeque using Behemoth meat. The world they now lived in was still a dangerous one, but the survivors of Cocoon were adapting rather quickly and so was she.

The Corps had been reformed to a group that went out and took out the monsters in the surrounding area so that they didn't venture too close to the residents who were farming or going about travelling. The towns were safe, though Lightning knew that eventually things would change, and the greedy would rise, but for now all was in peace.

Her friends had all remained within walking distance despite having more choices as to where to settle down now. Sazh and Dajh were on the outskirts of town, Hope and his father further east, and Serah lived a few houses down from Lightning with a friend. The only two missing, she could see from her window, and while it was bittersweet to see Fang and Vanille there in the crystal pillar, it made her somewhat happy to know that in one way or another, they were still together.

Laying back with a huff on her comfortable bed Lightning tried to reign in the torrent of emotions rushing through her at the moment. She felt overwhelmed and… and completely out of her element. She wanted to kill something, but she knew that hunting monsters would be the last thing she could do now.

Married life hadn't been what she had expected. Snow… he didn't demand things of her, had never asked her to be a housewife. He understood her on a whole different level than her other friends and family. He knew that she would rather be removing dangerous creatures from caves than to be at home attempting to cook. But then he was the one to take over that department… they did have to eat every day, after all.

She hadn't been made for home life, or to be someone's wife, but she had taken the plunge a few months before—even though Serah had had to threaten her down the aisle—and she had tied her life to a special man. Special most of time, since he sometimes had his idiot moments, too. But he was sweet and caring and a completely open book when it came to his feelings for her. It was why she loved him so much.

There were times when she felt guilt over the fact that her sister had not gotten the happy ending she had been looking for. Particularly during sleepless nights, Lightning would lie in bed and ask herself if she had stolen her sister's happiness for herself.

But then Serah assured her that she _was_ happy, that her happiness had always been a very different path than she had originally thought. She was helping the building and restoration of homes in Gran Pulse, specifically Oerba, and she was dating a mystery boy that she refused to tell Lightning about. Serah had moved on from her first love, and well, so had Snow.

If her sister said she was happy, what else could Lightning do but trust her?

Blowing out a heavy breath, Light stared up at the newly painted ceiling of her home and tried to clear her mind. She needed to talk to Snow as soon as possible and see what he thought of their current predicament. She'd wanted to wait at least another year before… before… but she supposed that it was natural for a married couple to go through this.

It wasn't like they hadn't had any time to be alone since they had tied the knot, but it still felt a little sudden. Especially for someone like her who was easily scared away from overly emotional situations. Lightning didn't want to freak out at every new revelation when it came to being married, but sometimes she just felt like bailing and running off to hunt marks. But then she'd see that picture sitting by the door of her and Snow on their wedding day where they looked so happy, and love and guilt would rush over her.

Snow Villiers had been the one to get her heart back on track and she would never do anything to hurt him; at least not consciously. She was still in the process of letting down those careful walls she had put up around her heart, but she had at least allowed herself to love that man the way she had never done before.

He was the sunshine to her bleakness, and he never failed to bring a smile to her face, even if it was sometimes a mocking one. She could see why Serah had been so… infatuated with him long ago. He'd given her the love and protection that Lightning had failed to in her pursuit of providing her with material things.

But now she had to stop thinking about that before she depressed herself, or cried. Her emotions seemed to be heightened and the last thing she needed was to start bawling for no reason. Snow would be angry if he found her moping around their home and then he would call Serah…

Lightning rolled onto her side and stared at the picture her sister had taken of her and Snow having a rare display of affection in public. Her sister had developed the image and had given it to her on the most recent celebration of the world being saved. In it, Snow had his arms around her and the breeze was ruffling their hair while they stared into the distance. Lightning particularly loved that ruffled image of Snow and the way she could tell the different shades of blue their eyes were.

Smiling to herself, she rubbed a hand over her forehead and wondered how she could go about telling Snow her suspicions. She had never been the tactful type, preferring to be blunt and upfront about everything, but the news she had to share had the potential to change their lives once more…

"Honey, I'm home!" called a booming voice from the living area.

Lightning rolled her eyes and sat up slowly, mindful of the way her stomach seemed to flip and it had nothing to do with her beloved oaf of a husband. "In here," she called.

Snow trudged into their bedroom and moved to press a kiss to her forehead, a grin on his face. He then proceeded to sit so that he could pull off his boots and then the bandana on his head. "What are you doing in here? I thought you were going to visit Serah," he said, falling back to lay where she had been only minutes before.

"I wasn't feeling well," she muttered, allowing him to pull her back and into his warm arms.

"Maybe it was a bad idea to eat anything made by Sazh," Snow muttered, brushing his rough fingers through her silky hair.

Lightning let out a small snort and wrapped an arm around his waist. "I don't think it was that."

Snow frowned and pushed back to be able to see her face. "Then what?"

Lightning was quiet for a moment before she sat up and stood. "Forget about it. It's nothing."

"Where are you going?"

"To see my sister," Lightning replied, searching in the closet for the trusty boots from her old Guardian Corps uniform.

"She can wait a little longer, don't you think?" Snow asked, large, warm hands smoothing over her waist.

"This can wait a few hours," she muttered, hiding a mischievous smile at his reaction.

Snow let out a small whine and kissed the back of her neck in hopes of changing her mind.

Against her mental protests, Lightning found her eyes closing and her head tilting to the side to welcome his hot kisses on her neck. "Fine," she muttered, turning in his arms for a searching kiss on his lips. "But none of those weird bendy positions that Sazh has been filling your head with."

Snow's deep chuckle sent a shiver down her spine as he nodded and dragged her back towards the bed.

"Do you have any preference, then?" he asked hotly against her ear.

Lightning grinned and moved her slim fingers to work on his belt. "On top."

"You or me?"

She smirked. "Me."

Snow returned her grin and tugged off the t-shirt and the pair of shorts she had been wearing while around their home. His eagerness for her never ceased to amaze even him, but he reminded himself that it was the depth of the love that he felt for her that made him so desperate to feel her close.

The cold and unstoppable Lightning Farron had stolen his heart so deeply and completely that he couldn't imagine his life without her. He had thought he'd loved Serah that way, but his feelings for the younger Farron didn't compare to the way he felt for Lightning.

He felt himself the luckiest man in the world to have such a beautiful and powerful woman sharing her life with him. She'd never needed a hero, but he had still strived to be one for her, and in a way, he had saved her from a solitary and icy existence.

This Lightning he worshipped in his arms now was anything but cold and uncaring. She was passionate and kind, and she cared for those who were close to her heart. She would kill and die for her family, and Snow Villiers loved her with all his great, big heart.

An impatient noise from her cut through his thoughts and he chuckled against the underside of her breast, hands trailing up her thighs smoothly. "Shh," he tried to soothe, lips closing around a rosy nipple.

Lightning's lips parted with a small moan and she dug her fingers into his hair when one of his hands tugged off her panties in a quick motion. Then his fingers were there, seeking each sensitive spot expertly and turning her body into shaking mush within seconds.

Her hips arched when his thumb found that bundle of sensitive nerves, her head fell back and she tried blindly to grasp at the sheets.

"You're so wet," he whispered, jagged. His breathing was warm between her breasts, and his teeth dragged over the skin there, sending a shiver up her spine.

"Snow…" she warned, thighs beginning to tense up with her quickly approaching orgasm.

He gave her his trademark smile as he pulled back and shoved off all his clothes in record time. "Always so impatient," he murmured, slipping into bed over her, lips and teeth on her shoulders and neck.

Lightning moaned again and dragged her legs over his hips, forcing their lower bodies together.

Snow grunted as her dampness rubbed across him and kissed her, tongue searching her mouth hotly as he positioned himself and slid home. Lightning broke the kiss and called out his name as he stretched her, so snug and warm.

Snow continued with a few strokes to get her body to accommodate him better before rolling onto his back and setting her astride him. She was a magnificent sight, he noted, all sinewy muscle and flat, flawless skin. The scars added to her beauty and they seemed to be healing nicely. There was no sign of the mark that had marred her chest a while back; there was nothing but skin he wanted to run his mouth and tongue all over.

Her eyes were closed, lips parted, and some of her pink hair had stuck to the damp skin of her neck, and he couldn't believe that she was all his. It had taken some time and patience but he had won her over. They did have their frequent bouts of shouting, but Snow wasn't the type to stay angry for long, and even if she denied it, Lightning loved him too much to truly get angry with him. Their make-up sessions were usually passionate and quick, though Snow always made time to love her achingly slow.

But now, now she was moving with the sort of desperation that he knew all too well. Something was stressing her and she didn't want to tell him about it. Her hips rocked in quick movements, sending Snow's hands to grasp her knees for something to hold onto.

He could tell that she was close by the way her breathing quickened and her inner walls pulsed around him sporadically, and any other day he would've made her slow down, but he wanted to give her what she needed. Maybe then she'd tell him what was on her mind.

Slipping his fingers to where they were connected, he groaned when she shuddered around him and her hips moved even faster, looking to create more friction. Rubbing at her swollen clit mercilessly, he was rewarded with a loud cry and the tightening of her passage as she came.

Snow shuddered and closed his eyes, jerking his hips up to meet her and to heighten the pleasure as her orgasm ended and his began. His fingers dug into her hips as he felt a rush of bliss travel from the very tip of his toes to the top of his head.

His breath shuddered out as he emptied inside of her, his whole body alive with pleasure and so much love for his wife. The only sound in the room was of her quick pants and the thundering of his heart in the next few minutes. He realized only too late that he hadn't used any protection… Shit, Light would throw him off of a cliff if he went and knocked her up without them discussing it.

But if he was honest with himself, he was ready for it. He was ready to be a father and for their family to grow. They had a new world to populate after all; he grinned to himself and brushed his fingers through her hair.

Slowly she rolled off of him and to his side, feeling warm and lazy. Now all she wanted to do was take a nap. No! Damn it, she was not the nap-taking type! She wasn't the crying type, either, but already she felt frustrated with herself and her body. If she calculated correctly—which she had already done about three times since her suspicions had started—then this _situation_ could've happened on the fourth celebration of Fang and Vanille saving Gran Pulse and the people now inhabiting it.

For some reason she could imagine Fang's smirk and Vanille's giggle at her predicament. Lightning was sure that they would be smug about indirectly being responsible for her current state.

"I think I'm pregnant," she muttered, back turned to Snow.

He smiled, eyes closed and half-asleep. "That's nice," he garbled.

Lightning rolled her eyes and waited for the overreaction she knew was to come.

Snow's blue eyes popped open and widened as he sat up. _"What?!"_

She merely twitched at his volume and shrugged the shoulder she wasn't laying on. "Yeah. I'm late, nauseous, and all I want to do is sleep."

"How do you know those things mean you're pregnant?!" Snow asked, voice pitched high.

Lightning sat up and glared at him. "I overheard some woman in town talking to her friends about it. It dawned on me then that I had been feeling the same things. Besides, there have been plenty of times when we haven't taken the precaution to prevent it. Even today," she mumbled.

"But—but, are you sure?" Snow asked, staring in a terror and wonder at her stomach.

"I'll only be sure until I see a doctor or something," she said, getting to her feet and walking into the bathroom.

Snow was still reeling, staring at the closed door in shock. He'd thought he had been ready for it, but to have the news dropped on him with the force of an attack from a King Behemoth, well, that changed things. He tried to stand but his knees felt jittery, and his palms were damp. Honestly though, with the way they handled their break-ups and make-ups it was a miracle he hadn't knocked her up sooner, he thought wryly.

Finally managing to get to his feet, he followed her into the bathroom and kept anymore questions and comments to himself. The last thing he needed was to piss her off enough for her to kick his ass. She seemed on edge enough as it was.

…..

Their walk into town was a silent one, and Snow wondered if she was indeed angry over the fact that she was possibly expecting. He was still more shocked than anything else, but he didn't think Light was up for chatting about it in that moment.

When they reached the center of town, they ran into Sazh and Dajh, who were returning from a fishing trip. The boy ran straight for Lightning and wrapped his arms around her waist, smiling brightly at her.

"Hey, Claire!" he exclaimed, only one of two individuals who could get away with calling her by her given name.

"Hey, kid," Lightning said patting his head awkwardly; she had never been good with children, though this one had grown on her.

"How's married life treating you two?" asked Sazh with a chuckle.

"We're doing fine," Lightning replied evasively, feeling the boy remove himself from her and move toward the tall blond next to her.

"Dajh!" Snow exclaimed, taking the kid in his arms and throwing him into the air.

"I'm going to look for Serah," she muttered, nodding at Sazh. Lightning stepped back from the shrieking child and smiled bemusedly at Snow. He would make a wonderful father, she noted. She, on the other hand… What would she teach a kid? How to polish a weapon? Which were the weak points to attack on an enemy?

She scowled to herself and left Snow with Dajh and Sazh so that she could seek Serah. Maybe her sister would have some words of wisdom for her. As she rounded a restored home in the general direction of where new ones were being built, Lightning's eyes widened as she spotted Serah, giggling and touching a hand to… _Hope's_ arm. What the—?

"Hey, why'd you leave so quickly?" Snow asked, giving her a curious look at her silence. Turning to follow her line of sight he let out a guffaw and grinned. "Well, look at that!"

"Must be the mystery guy she was talking about a few weeks back," Lightning muttered, stalking forward.

Serah and Hope seemed to sense the storm approaching and turned to look at Lightning, eyes going wide as they stepped back from each other. "H-hi, Claire!" the younger woman greeted, eyes going to Snow in alarm.

The blond shrugged and followed closely, hoping that Lightning didn't overreact. "Light, take it easy…"

"Take it easy?" she hissed. "Why all the secrecy, Serah? Hope?" Lightning asked in a deathly tone.

"We weren't really sure if we needed to say anything about it!" Serah exclaimed, standing in front of the man she was now dating. "We barely made it official today."

"Yeah, Light. I didn't mean to go behind your back or anything, but Serah and I decided to keep it under wraps while we figured out what we wanted to be to each other," Hope said quickly, cheeks coloring red.

"And _what_ are you to each other?" Lightning asked in a deadly soft voice.

"We love each other, Light," Hope replied, taking Serah's hand.

"And we want to get married eventually!" Serah said excitedly.

"Are you sleeping with him?" Lightning questioned, abrupt.

Snow started when he saw the red flush on both of the younger people's faces. "Light! I don't think that's any of our business."

Lightning's eyes narrowed. "Yeah, it's not my business until my baby sister gets pregnant, huh?"

"But I'm not—"

"And what will you do then? Rush into marriage? Raise a baby you're not ready for?" Lightning continued.

Snow sighed when he realized that she was venting her own doubts and fears about the two of them. But why the hell couldn't she talk to _him_ about it? He was just as freaked out as her. Shaking his head he stepped back from her. "All of that stuff you're talking about has nothing to do with the two of them," he snapped, getting her attention.

Lightning focused those intense blues on him and noted that she had hurt him, since he obviously had caught on to the fact that she had been voicing her distressing thoughts. _Fuck_ , but she had never been one to apologize. Still, she had to try… "Snow—"

"I thought we were past that selfish need you had to push everyone away, Light. I'm just as freaked out as you, but you didn't even bother to talk to me about what the both of us feel," Snow said, shaking his head. He then motioned at the younger couple. "They're happy; can't you see? Be happy with them."

With that, he left her standing there in astonishment, eyes wide and lips parted. And it began to dawn on her that she'd screwed up and big time. It had been a while since they had last fought, but this had been different. They hadn't even been fighting to begin with. She had told him that she could be pregnant and had walked away—into the bathroom—without asking him what he was thinking or how he felt. She'd been thinking of only herself.

Being a sister had taught her to grow up quickly. But marriage, marriage had taught her that she was no longer alone, that now she had to think and decide things mutually. Snow was her other half, and as such, they needed to work together to make up that one whole. She wanted to smack her forehead and run after him, but she figured he needed some space to think about his impending fatherhood.

"Claire, what's going on?" Serah asked quietly.

Lightning turned to look at her and Hope, gaze apologetic. "Sorry. I didn't…" she trailed off and only then noticed the stupid tears that had invaded her eyes, though she stubbornly kept them in. Serah stepped closer and hugged her gently, rubbing her hair.

"I'm here, sis," she said with a smile.

"Me, too," Hope intoned, hugging both Serah and Lightning. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner."

"No. No. It's your private lives and I was overreacting," she muttered in reply. "It's just… I might be having some hormone issues."

Serah drew back and stared at her with sparkling eyes. "Do you mean that you're—?"

Lightning nodded. "It's a suspicion right now, but I think I am."

"Oh, sis, congratulations!" Serah cried, hugging her even tighter.

Lightning found the first true smile coming to her then as she hugged her sister back with force.

"What's going on?" Hope asked, puzzled.

"Claire is having a baby!" Serah squealed.

"A-a baby? Is that what the lecture was about?" Hope asked, eyes as wide as saucers.

Lightning scoffed and nodded. "It was more of a rant than a lecture."

Hope chuckled and hugged her, too. "Congrats. Though… I think you need to talk to Snow about this."

"I know," Lightning sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I've just always lose my cool when it comes to dealing with stressful situations."

"You're going to be a mom, Claire. It's the best news a woman can get!" Serah continued. "I'm so happy for you. And don't worry, you and Snow will be amazing parents. You'll protect him or her, and Snow with his big heart will love you both so much!"

There was complete truth in her sister's words, Lightning thought. Had she honestly needed someone to tell her that? Well, maybe. Or maybe she'd just needed to hear it from Serah. Lightning had been a lousy sister to her, so part of her fears came from the doubt that she would be a much better parent to her own offspring.

"Thanks. And I'm sorry for going off on the two of you. I'm happy that you've found someone special," Lightning said, patting Hope on the head the way she used to when he had been shorter than her. Now, four years after their adventure, he was more than a head taller than her. "Take care of my sister, Hope. Make her happy or deal with a hormonal version of the old Lightning."

Hope swallowed hard and nodded quickly. "I will, Light."

Lightning smirked and nodded, leaning in to give Serah a quick peck on the forehead. "Be safe, little sis."

Serah smile sunnily and waved as Lightning began to walk away from them.

Sighing to herself, Lightning thought about what she should do next. Snow was probably moping around town, waiting for her to cool off before seeking her out again, and well, she would be doing the same. She'd make herself apologize for hurting his feelings and then they would sit down to talk about what would come next in their relationship. But first thing's first. She needed to find the town doctor so that she could confirm the situation.

…

"Something the matter, Snow?"

The blond looked up and shook his head. "No. Don't worry about it."

Sazh didn't look convinced. "Light looked a little tense today. Well, more than usual around Dajh," he said with a little grin.

"She's going through some stuff. And as always she doesn't include those around her," Snow muttered, mixing the material they would be using as cement.

"You can't blame her, Snow. She spent years shouldering the responsibility of caring for a sister when she was just a kid herself. It's hard for her to let go of that tight control," Sazh commented. "She let some of it go when she agreed to share her life with you. You have to admit that for someone like Lightning, that was a big step."

Snow nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I get that, but it still pisses me off when she closes herself off. I just can't help it. We went through so much together, and now we're married. I would imagine she would've changed a little by now."

Sazh sighed and glanced towards the distance, where he could make out the crystal where their two saviors were resting. "We were given a second chance at life, Snow. We shouldn't waste it with petty arguments that can be easily fixed. Don't blow up at Light; talk to her instead. Let her know that you understand why she shut you out, but that you want to be a part of those things she's feeling."

Snow smiled and patted the older man on the shoulder. "Thanks. I think it's the best advice anyone took the time to give me."

"You're welcome, kid. Now stop wasting time here and go back to talk to her. Aside from that, your shift was over hours ago so you don't need to come back until tomorrow."

"Take care, Sazh," said Snow before waving a small distance away to where Dajh was playing with some other children. The boy waved back happily and Snow walked away.

He supposed he'd needed someone to tell him that even when he had already known it. While life with Lightning hadn't been the easiest, it had also been some of the happiest moments in his life. He'd thought he'd loved Serah, but that had been more of a puppy love for the both of them—even though he had been too old for puppy love to begin with—and it had been better for them to go their separate ways. But then, spending so much time with Light, watching her try and be a better sister and a better person all together had shown him a side of her he had fallen helplessly in love with.

She hadn't warmed to the fact that her sister's ex was interested in her right away, but he had made himself be patient so that he could slowly chip at her resolve. He'd felt like the luckiest man in the world when she had accepted to go out with him the very first time. But then he'd been at a loss as to where he'd be able to take her that she'd actually enjoy. Small restaurants had begun to open up in their town, but they were still short on places for entertainment.

Instead of taking her out to a typical date, he'd taken her out onto the Steppe where they could sit and talk while they watched the wildlife roam free. Lightning had been impressed, even though she hadn't voiced it, and they had sat together and watched the sunset while they talked about their pasts and what they wanted for the future. He'd told her that he wanted a family, and she'd confessed that she still hadn't known what she expected from her own future. He'd been bold enough to kiss her then, but had pulled back quickly just to see her smirk and look away.

From then on, it had given him the hope that she didn't mind him attempting to woo her, and it had been a little bit easier to worm his way into her life and heart.

A few months later he had asked her to marry him.

She had said no.

Snow grinned to himself at the memory of the punch she'd sent to his face. He'd honestly been expecting a reaction like that, though it had hurt his pride that she had declined his marriage proposal. Her explanation had been that they both had needed to talk to Serah individually about their relationship before they could even think of moving forward.

After Serah had given her blessing, they had married in a ceremony with only their friends and family at the foot of the crystal where Fang and Vanille were located. They hadn't dressed up—mostly because Light refused to wear a wedding gown, and also because material for one was nearly impossible to locate still. And unless she'd wanted to wear a dress made of leaves or exotic flower petals…

Getting used to Light's strange habits of checking each door and window of their home at night had taken some getting used to. So had the fact that she knew even less about cooking than he did; had it not been for Serah who'd shown them a few things, they would've starved to death by now.

Light had a right to be freaked out, he noted, when they could barely even feed themselves. A baby would need a lot of care, and what if they fed it something they weren't supposed to? Or what if he dropped it on its head?! He quelled the panic he was starting to feel again and tried to compose himself. The last thing he needed was to freak Lightning out, too.

They could do it. He knew they could and if they hit some sort of roadblock or trouble along the way, well, he didn't have a problem with asking Sazh or one of their neighbors for help. He just really, really hoped that he didn't disappoint Lightning as a husband or the possible kid that was on the way as a father.

He still had to remind himself that he was in the dog house and that she had never been easily swayed by flowers. Frowning to himself, Snow began his trek home and wondered what he would need to say or do to get back on Lightning's good side.

…

When Snow returned to the house that had helped build from the ground up, he found her sitting at the table, stirring a cup of tea and with a nice aroma emanating from the stove.

"Serah dropped by and left dinner cooking in the oven for us," Lightning supplied.

"Oh," Snow said, standing in front of her silently.

"I," she paused, cleared her throat. "I saw the town doctor."

Snow's gaze snapped up to hers.

She sighed and took a sip of tea. "She gave me this tea and said that it's good to relax the nerves without being harmful to me. Do you want some?"

"Yeah, please," he said, taking a seat across from her and then accepting the still hot water with some leaves he'd never seen before.

Even though he knew that she wasn't one to melt at the sight of small gifts, Snow reached forward and placed something right next to her tea.

"You can stir in honey or sugar," she said, motioning to the containers in front of him as she turned and handed the mug over.

Her eyes darted down to the wild flower sitting on the table... her favorite color, too. The bloom was a deep red-orange color with many petal and a dark center. It was beautiful.

He went with honey. "So…" he started when she sat and continued to look at his apology gift.

Lightning glanced up for a moment to gauge his reaction. "She confirmed it. I'm just going into the fifth week. I don't know why I didn't realize it sooner," Lightning muttered into her cup as she picked it up.

"We've been busy," Snow said carefully.

She touched the soft petals. "Yeah, I guess. Look... I'm sorry for the outburst earlier. I was… I still _am_ freaked out over this. I don't have doubts that you'll be a great father, but I'm not sure what kind of mother I'm going to be. Hell, I couldn't even be a good sister for Serah!"

"Lightning, Serah understood all the sacrifices you went through for her. The difference here is going to be that we're not this kid's siblings. We're the parents and we're going to be good ones."

"But what if we fail? What if _I_ fail?" Lightning asked in despair.

Snow's large hands were as warm as ever over her own. "You won't. You went through hell to bring back your sister and you _never_ failed then. Having a baby isn't a life and death situation. You'll be an amazing mother."

"I'm not ready."

"Neither am I."

"But we're going to do this."

He grinned. "Yeah. We'll be doing it together. You're not alone for this, Light. Besides, the kid will have plenty of uncles and an aunt who will love it a great deal."

Lightning felt a smile tug at her lips and squeezed his fingers, letting out a long breath. "I'm still scared shitless."

Snow chuckled warmly, sending tingles down her spine. "So am I, Light." He pulled her knuckles to his lips and kissed them, watching her eyes soften and fill with relief.

Her look then turned evil. "Every ache and pain I feel, so will you."

Snow tried not to laugh in her face about it because he knew she was completely serious. "I guess it's only fair."

She laughed lowly and pulled her hands back to sip at her tea again. "We'll see how long you're singing that tune."

Snow didn't like the sound of that but kept smiling. _I'm going to be a dad!_

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End file.
